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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · branch · race · stand · rock · mine · coach · ground

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — humankind
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rock — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. race — a contest
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stand — to bear
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. ground — crushed
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ground — a position
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — a division
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com